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Eggleton tells Chamber planning answers are in data by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver 13 | Thursday, April 25, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com The key to managing sustainable cities is information, metrics and indicators, according to Senator Art Eggleton. That was the message he delivered recently as keynote speaker at the Sustainable Cities Symposium, held at the Oakville Conference Centre. The one-day event was hosted by the Oakville Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Oakville chapter of the Professional Engineers Association of Ontario. "In today's fast-paced, data-driven society, standardized indicators are becoming critical elements of city building, city planning, management and governance," said Eggleton. "Anyone working with cities understands that city-level data is scarce." The former mayor of Toronto also serves as advisory board chair of the Global City Indicators Facility (GCIF), a group that provides established city indicators using standardized methodology. It allows for worldwide comparability of city performance and knowledge sharing. GCIF started with nine pilot cities when it launched in November 2008, but has since expanded to include 250 urban centres worldwide, 25 in Canada, Eggleton said. "There are still a lot of areas and cities we would like to get involved. We hope to be at 500 cities by 2015 and 1,000 by the time we get to 2020," said Eggleton. He said an average of 200,000 people each day will be added to were collecting 1,100 different indicators on all sorts of themes. Of the 1,100 measurements, only two were comparable," said Eggleton. "This raised a need for a common set of standards and definitions. The nine-piloted cities tested the indicators to ensure the objectives were relevant, measurable and consistent over time." The group releases a book on up-to-date statistics every two years, he said, which compiles information from member cities. The most recent book was published in 2012. Art Eggleton the world's urban population between now and 2015. "Cities are becoming economic powerhouses and indicators can help cities make effective management decisions," said Eggleton. "It also provides an opportunity for cities to learn from one another, allowing for a comparison of a wide range of performance measures." There are "two basic categories" GCIF uses to organize its 115 indicators -- city services and quality of life, he said. The indicators are centred around 20 themes including education, finance, governance, energy, transportation, wastewater, urban planning, civic engagement, economy, environment and technology and innovation. The list of indicators was based on input from the partner cities to ensure the standards reflect urban information needs and interests and a rigorous screening process, according to GCIF . "It turned out the nine cities BEACHCOMBER HOT TUB SPECIAL SUPER NO TAX SALE! Limited Time Offer on all Beachcomber Hybrid Editions (BHE) "It illustrates the trends in data around city themes such as health, education, economic prosperity (and) transport. The report highlights the data we get from our member cities," said Eggleton. GCIF is also developing a series see Senator on p.14 FREE! FREE! DELIVERY INSTALLATION CHEMICAL KIT COVER REMOVER SYSTEM SAVE HUGE! By Purchasing our Beachcomber Hybrid Editions FREE! FREE! NO TAX HOT TUBS! NO TAX POOL CHEMICALS! POOL CHEMICAL SALE ALL ALL ALL ALL BALANCERS - ALKALINITY - CALCIUM - PH SANITIZERS - CHLORINE - BROMINE - SHOCK WATER SOFTENERS POOL SALT DON'T PAY UNTIL 2014!* HUGE INVENTORY BLOW OUT UP TO ON BRAND NEW FURNACES & AIR CONDITIONERS CALL NOW, QUANTITIES ARE LIMITED! 95% HI-EFFICIENCY DC MOTOR GAS FURNACE IN GOVERNMENT REBATE 50 $ % OFF $ Was ONLY HI-EFFICIENCY AIR CONDITIONERS 650 UP TO NOW Was $ Per month 78 NOW ONLY $ BRAND NEW UNITS AVAILABLE ONLY IN 4 SIZES 39 Per month 58 Was $ Per month OAC FURNACE DIAGNOSTIC SERVICE 29 $ Per month OAC MAKE A SPLASH AND PAY NO TAX! 1318 SPEERS RD., OAKVILLE 905.847.8551 4TH LINE 3rd LINE Store Hours: MON - WED 9am - 6pm THURS 9am - 8pm, FRI & SAT 9am - 6pm SUN 10 am to 5pm $99 ONLY THE FORECAST CALLS FOR 49 HEATING & COOLING www.aireone.com · 1-888-827-2665 905-849-4998 905-632-0505 A+ RATING BRONTE DORVAL 9 Locations To Serve You Better! *See dealer for details www.oakvillehomeleisure.ca VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT QEW SPEERS RD.